Salzburg: Day 3, Jordi Savall and a brew pub

 

Entering the Kollegienkirche, notice the banner

I don't think you can read it from this photo, but the banner advertises eight concerts in the Ouverture Spirituelle series. The Salzburg Festival is organized into a number of different series, each of which in a smaller or less-specialized context would be a whole season in itself. There are five other concerts by other ensembles that overlap with this series. Last night was La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations with vocal soloists conducted by Jordi Savall. The bio in the program notes that Jordi Savall has been researching, interpreting and performing early music for some fifty years. The two ensembles, choral and orchestral, noted above were both his foundation. The five vocal soloists I won't cover separately, but their performances were lovely with clear, open voices, unstrained and, without pitch correction (of course!), beautifully in tune. I have long been a lover of choral music and this was an evening to treasure. It consisted in two settings of the De profundis (Psalm 130), the first by Michel-Richard Delalande (used as funeral music for Louis XIV in 1715) and the second by the contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Between these two in the program was a Te Deum, an ancient hymn of joyous praise dating all the way back to the fourth century. The composer was Marc-Antoine Carpenter (1643 - 1704), this is one of six Te Deums he composed. There was also an encore but I didn't know the piece--I might be able to find out from the local paper what it was. My feeling was that the best work of the evening, by far, was the Arvo Pärt with its other-worldly textures and pure harmonies. Absolutely a delight. Here is a performance by the Hilliard Ensemble:

Acknowledging applause at concert's end

Before the concert my German friends and I visited one of the stellar attractions of Salzburg: the Augustiner Bräustuben, a brew pub open for the last four hundred years, still using the original recipe.

Original stoneware?

The beer was excellent, but the food was really outstanding. The hilarious thing for me was that my German friends found half the items on the menu incomprehensible because they used uniquely Austrian vocabulary:

Menu in Austrian German

One friend said that the grilled chicken was simply the best she had ever had--I tried it and wow. As with fish, the trick with chicken is not to overcook it. This was moist and unctuous.

Grilled half chicken with potato salad

I had the venison stew with dumpling and green beans with "speck" (a kind of Alpine bacon). Wow, the sauce was made with red wine. Excellent!

Venison stew with dumpling and green beans

So that was an experience to remember. This is the kind of place that welcomes you and that locals treasure. If you are in Salzburg, don't miss it. And you won't find these recipes in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal! If you go, be sure to make a reservation.